Our deal
by Deezaster82
Summary: G1. Leaving his ambitions aside temporarily, Starscream decides to accept Megatron's deal and to cooperate with him. This, unsurprisingly, leads the Decepticons to a victory no one was expecting anymore. The war is over now, and so is their deal! What will Megatron do with Starscream? And, more importantly, what will Starscream do with his leader? One-shot. SLash.


**Author note**:

I know I shouldn't chase so many bunnies at a time. This one bit me hard enough to win my attention for today.

No worries though, I'll update my other stories soon.

**Verse**: G1. Slightly A.U ( the 1885 movie never happened in this story.)

**Pairing**: Megatron/Starscream

**Warning**: long introduction, long dialogue. Lot of Autobots death, slight violence, a bit of cussing but nothing big. Sexual innuendos.

**Title:** Our deal.

One-shot. 

From the sanctuary of his quarters, Megatron polished his armor while reflecting upon the recent events that had led the Decepticons to the present situation.

They were back on Cybertron, the planet slowly- but steadily- regaining its essence. There was still a long way to go to restore the planet back to its former glory, but the visible progress pleased the warlord to no end already.

It had taken so much, and yet so little at the same time, for the Decepticons to gain the advantage over their enemies and to push the Autobots back until they had no other choice but leave their home world and retreat to the relative safety of its moons.

They had left the Earth unprotected too, vulnerable. A world for the Decepticons to claim and drain as much energy from its various resources as they wished.

It wasn't enough to fully revive Cybertron yet, but it was coming steadily.

It had taken hard work, but at the end it just seemed too easy, and soon the Autobot resistance was reduced to a small contingent. On the second moon of Cybertron, in the Autobot base, the single one that was left, only a fistful of bots remained to guard their small fortress against the Decepticons that had established their siege.

They had lost their brave leader in the last battle. Megatron smirked at the memory of him finally beheading Optimus Prime and lifting his severed head high for all to see. It had been more than exhilarating, it had been superb in its beauty: How the Autobots' expression fell, how they suddenly seemed to lost all will to fight. They retreated like a pack of hunted preys, running away with broken sparks and dissolved hope, the sound of their sorrow smothered by the Decepticons' loud and prideful shouts of victory.

They took no prisoner. Megatron didn't want extra mouths to feed.

The remaining Autobots hid away in their base. They had no energon left, no resource to use so they could distillate the precious fuel and it was only a matter of orns before they surrendered or died out of hunger.

Megatron smiled at his own reflection and thought about the incredible turn of fate that had led to all this.

A few mega-cycles ago, Soundwave had approached him with a statement of how distention within the troops greatly hindered their efficiency against their foes. Megatron had refused to believe such idiocy but the loyal third-in-command had insisted, backed up by the unwilling admission he could read the tyrant's brain waves.

Then he made that wild suggestion, something he had never dared do before, that perhaps Megatron could make a deal of cooperation with his ambitious, uncontrollable, scheming and prideful second-in-command, Starscream.

"_A deal?!"_ Megatron had thundered at Soundwave's face so much the suggestion had angered him- and wounded his ego. " _With that pathetic excuse for a wannabe-leader? Never! Do you hear me? Never!_"

Soundwave had bravely suffered the assault and waited for the warlord to calm down before continuing.

" _Suggestion: Based on probability calculation. Balance of power between Autobots and Decepticons in actual situation: In Autobot's favor. Balance of Power between the two factions in case of leaders cooperation: Weight increase of 40% in our favor. Chance of increased efficiency: 100%. Chance of takeover attempt by Starscream: reduced by 20 %. Chance of eventual victory against enemy: Increased to 69%."_

Megatron had listened to the tape-deck in infuriated silence. Though, at the end of his speech, Soundwave noted that the leader's anger had decreased by 40% .

" _And how do you suggest, my dear Soundwave, that I make Starscream less of an ambitious traitor all of a sudden?" _He barked._ "And don't you dare propose me to give him anything he doesn't deserve!"_

Calmly, Soundwave had led Megatron to his throne and had told him all he had been thinking about for orns. Once again, Megatron listened, sometimes cut him up with a roar of outrage at the ideas proposed but eventually settled into a much calmer attitude. All that Soundwave said was right and he knew it.

At the end, Megatron went along with his third-in-command idea: After much wrestling, he got Starscream to calm down and listen to him. They talked, bargained and discussed energetically for groons but eventually found an understanding:

Starscream was to work with Megatron and not against him. He was to focus all of his destructive energy and hate toward the Autobots- and them alone. Aside from that, he was to forget his own ambitions for a time and not attempt anything that could prove detrimental to their army's efficiency. That obviously included hostiles coups to try and become the 'new leader'.

They had to unite against them and work together to attain victory, but once everything would be over and they'd be the rulers of Cybertron, then Starscream would be free to dispose of Megatron if he so wished- and managed.

Starscream accepted, albeit showed much reluctance, if only for the sake of his precious dignity. The seeker was intelligent enough to understand that cooperating with Megatron- even for so short a time- would be as highly beneficial to him as it would be to the Decepticon cause.

In exchange of this temporary collaboration, Megatron promised to treat Starscream as he would have if the seeker had been a loyal lieutenant from the start. He swore- and himself had to swallow a lot of his pride to do this- to never mock the seeker in front of the rest of the army again and as long as their deal stood.

They sealed their deal, making it official by consuming a small amount of each other's fuels, as per old traditions, while Soundwave bore witness.

It had gone uphill from then on and both leaders surprisingly ended up respecting the deal with almost-religious determination.

Soundwave had been right, Megatron could only admit to it now. And he really didn't regret his decision to try and see if he could work with Starscream.

During these past mega-cycles, the leader forced himself to consider his second-in-command like the formidable tool he was, not only as a skilled warrior but also as an intelligent and creative tactician.

Since he had laid his ambitions to a temporary sleep, Starscream had become deadly efficient and the Megatron gradually felt himself able to relax and trust him, have real discussions with him that didn't end up in chaos of mixed fire and energon and learn to work in synch with the seeker on the battlefield.

With the time passing, it became almost natural for them to meet on a daily basis and work on battle plans together until late night. They still had their pride, they still argued and disagreed. From time to time, Megatron couldn't help punching the wall in frustration while Starscream ranted for breems about some insignificant detail of their plans.

But, unlike it had always been in the past, it never escalated to a full-out fight: They would calm down eventually, sit back around the table, and worked on whatever caused the disagreement to solve it patiently.

Their new attitude toward each other unsettled many Decepticons, including Starscream's trine and Shockwave himself. Time passed, it became the daily normality and the soldiers eventually accepted things the way they were. As for the Autobots, it painfully scared them to see how well Starscream and Megatron fought together, for once not against each other, but against them! And they were- Optimus Prime admitted it once- deadly dangerous.

They were far more than that, Megatron thought as he mused on that. To the Autobots, they were like the knights of Armageddon those humans sometimes mentioned on their 'Internet'.

In the end, the words didn't sound exaggerated anymore.

Now, the victory was mere orns ahead and, even thought it seemed ridiculous, Megatron almost dreaded it.

Not the victory itself but one of its unavoidable consequence: The deal he had with Starscream would be honored and the seeker would be free to try and claim the throne for himself again.

The Decepticon leader knew it would happen eventually, and if he had to be honest with himself, then he'd say he didn't want things to revert to the old times where hate was all there was between Starscream and himself.

During the few Mega-cycles following the day of their deal, Megatron had come to see his lieutenant more as an ally than a liability and that ally would be painful to give up on. Also, he had had the opportunity to see him in a new light: Working with him and not against him, Megatron had found Starscream's non-hostile company pleasant. He could almost say that, to some extend, they had become friends.

Not Friends, Megatron corrected himself, partners that get along well.

He sighed heavily and looked at his own reflection apologetically. That wasn't the best choice of words to describe the reality, no.

There was more to that than simple companionship. That something that had always been there, floating tick in the air between them, noticed but immediately ignored yet too insistent and resilient to completely dismiss.

Something both Megatron and Starscream liked to call their ' factory malfunction'.

The phenomenon was so rare it was believed to be a myth but fatality had wanted for them to prove its existence: Their sparks were dedicated mates since their very creation. There was no curing the oddity.

Ever since they met, it had been there, a magnetic pull between them, an almost-spiritual attraction, as if Primus himself had decided for them; the deity probably had too.

It was easy to ignore before, when they hated each other so much that insults and injuries made for good enough love declarations and caresses. None of them was eager to acknowledge or act upon the ever-present pull their spark experienced one for the other. They would have sooner killed themselves than admit to this aberration.

The deal they made had forced them to keep their anger aside. Without the perpetual violence that had calmed their urges for so long, the _'pull'_ had been uncomfortable to ignore at times. More than once Megatron had felt tempted to give in... and so did Starscream. The warlord could tell from too many awkward optic-locks and shudders at an accidental touch.

And now he had enough of this. He knew it was more than about time for him to make a decision. Now, today, this very orn, it was certainly better a time than it ever was: Their victory so close, he felt allowed to give in.

He wanted to claim Starscream as a mate and there was no more denying it. What the warlord needed, he would have. It was only benefiting his future role as the Emperor of the Galaxy ( the Universe would be his too, eventually)

Megatron stood up and observed himself in the mirror. He hadn't waxed often in the past, had never needed to look anything but fearsome. What he was about to do called for this little expression of vanity. After all, this would be unprecedented.

Satisfied of his appearance, he finally exited his quarters and headed for the command center.

There he knew he would find Starscream on duty, alone and sure enough, as the door opened for him, he couldn't spot anything else in the dimly lit room than a pair of white wings sticking out from the backrest of his throne.

Megatron chuckled out loud at the sight. On his throne, the pair of wings shifted lightly and a head poked out from the large backrest.

" Found a comfortable seat, Starscream?" Megatron teased as he moved further in the command center.

The seeker grinned. " I'm getting used to your throne" He stated highly, "And it is not comfortable. When I am leader, I'll have a new one built to better accommodate my span."

" If you wanted a throne big enough to accommodate your ego, they would never find enough metal to build it" Megatron replied good-humorously. Starscream huffed, faking offense.

" Is there something you wanted?" He asked. " There really is nothing worth our attention here." He remarked-reported, pointing to the screen that displayed the feedback from the surveillance cameras placed around the last Autobot base. There was no activity at all indeed.

" Actually..." Megatron started, standing next to his throne- and next to Starscream obviously. " There is something worth our attention." He couldn't back away now, could he. He was above the fear of rejection, and he didn't care for endless mysterious talk or beating around the air vent. ( how could Megs know what a 'bush' is?)

.

" Something we have both denied this far."

On the throne, the seeker visibly- and sensibly- tensed.

" I don't see what you are talking about, Megatron" He said. He had wanted to sound casual but the slight tremble in his voice betrayed his uneasiness.

" I would have replied the same thing, had we had this talk yesterday." Megatron said, calmly. " But you know very well what I'm hitting at. I won't deny our condition any longer and I expect you to do the sensible thing and acknowledge it yourself."

The seeker flung himself away from the throne, willing to put as much distance between him and the warlord. He took a defensive stance and faced Megatron from were he stood.

" And what then?" He hissed low, not wanting any wandering audio to catch this discussion. " You will claim me on your throne, force me to submit to something I never asked for? You will do that, only so to make sure that, once the last Autobot is terminated and our deal over with, I wouldn't want to try overthrowing you again!"

" Really now Starscream." Megatron stayed were he was for the time being not to infuriate the seeker some more and spoke in a soft-yet sarcastic-tone. " Do you seriously think I would want to claim you as my bonded mate only so I could keep you in control?"

" For that and the other advantages" Starscream purred mockingly, turning so to give the warlord a good profile view of his well-built frame. " But yes, I think you're not below that kind of twisted scheme."

" You dare imply I could be that superficial?" now Megatron was slowly growing angry.

" Of course. You are a Tarnian." Starscream retorted, matter-of-facty. " Tarnians are barbaric brutes who don't know the meaning of commitment"

" And Vosians are self-loving uptight and pretentious freaks?" Megatron lifted a brow ridge and replied with an annoyed frown. " First I'll have you know I spend most of my life in Kaon and remember little about Tarn. Secondly, I don't care about those stupid prejudices."

Starscream sighed but didn't relax. He said nothing and stared at Megatron warily, as if the warlord was about to attack him.

" Starscream. Let it not be more ridiculous." Megatron almost patronized. "This war has lasted millions of years yet we crushed our enemies in less than one hundred year only because you and I decided to stop fighting and start working together. Maybe it is time to admit that what we have there.." He mentioned his chest, hinting at his spark. "...Is not that much of a malfunction after all."

As Starscream remained silent, he continued.

" You and me together, you can only realize what a mighty, a magnificent force we represent, a deadly tool of destruction and supremacy. And now we are simple partners, imagine how powerful we'd be if we were fully united, a living nightmare for those who stand in our way, conquerors like no one in this universe had ever gazed upon, our very names will sow terror into their souls...Don't you realize how we could benefit from that bond?" and now he had said the word. " And you? You will no longer be my second-in-command then, you'll be..."

But Starscream cut the oratory short.

" Blah blah blah! I will be what? Your consort? Your sweet pet? You'd be the Universe's walking nightmare and I'd be your flying dream? Ah, and you dare say I am ridiculous?!"

He lifted both his laser cannons at Megatron's face. " I thought you had come to respect me at last...But it seems I was wrong" and he added as an afterthought. " for once."

" You'd be my equal." Megatron forced the words out, not that he didn't mean them, but he was getting thoroughly annoyed by Starscream's stubbornness. "And then we will no longer have to suffer the oddity of our sparks, we will fulfill it." Megatron spoke honestly although his visible anger destroyed the effect of his words.

" You pulled this act admirably, mighty Megatron" Starscream actually clapped his hands together. " When I have overthrown you and taken my rightful place as leader of the Decepticon, I advise you to find a producer and start your new career as an actor, you have a natural talent for comedy." he said mockingly sweet.

" You test my patience, Starscream." Megatron growled. " So stubborn...You have ruled at my side for the last hundred mega-cycles and it is not enough. You absolutely want me out of the picture."

Starscream suddenly seemed to forget that he was afraid and stomped back to where Megatron stood to painfully jam his finger in the warlord's chest.

" You know why. If you really want confession, I'm just like you, I feel the 'malfunction' pull at my spark every time you are near." And they could feel it at that very moment. " it is infuriating" He gritted his teeth and made to walk away but Megatron grabbed his hand and held him back.

Starscream snarled but said nothing and the gunformer pulled him closer until their chests almost touched.

They both immediately felt soft comfortable waves spread through their body as their sparks fluttered 'happily' at the proximity.

Starscream gulped and looked up at Megatron. " you can't possibly mean to acknowledge and be willing for more of this"

" I'm positive there is no one else more deserving to become my mate than you, Starscream." Megatron said. He knew that was unlike him but he still had a spark under all the reinforced metal of his armor. Starscream would not only straighten his might considerably but he would fill a void in his life he had always denied having.

" You are all a military leader could hope from a lieutenant: You are ruthless, skilled, highly competent when you focus your hate on our enemies, you are unmatched as a flier, a respected Air-commander, an intelligent scientist and tactician. You are basically everything I ever wanted."

" Yes" The seeker smiled in pride at that acknowledgment of his worth. " I am that ultimate perfection you always talk about."

" You also are everything a mech could hope for." Megatron continued.

" Yes...beautiful, disobedient and ready to kill you in your sleep. I'm charming like that." Starscream commented.

" Beautiful, fierce, strong-willed and deadly." Megatron corrected. " And I'll let you know that I indeed do find these highly charming."

The seeker suddenly stepped away from his leader and broke the spell. His spark coiled on itself sadly.

" State the reason of your reluctance." Megatron asked. " Is it that you find me way out of you league?"

Starscream moved further away from Megatron but stayed in the command center and walked around, wings held high in defiance. His whole attitude held a silent yet clear warning ' try anything funny again and I'll rip something away from you.'

After a moment of thoughtful scrutiny, he finally answered the warlord's inquiry.

" You are strong-minded and even though twisted, you have a creativity that never ceased to amaze me. You are highly dangerous and even more so since you have a brain to back up your brawls...You are not as smart as I am but still smart enough to see clear in my schemes. Aside from that, you aren't too hard on the optics and you have a strong built." He finished his list and added:

" But sadly, you have no wing." Starscream shock his head in mock aggravation.

" And you called me superficial?" Megatron chuckled. " Tell me, are we getting somewhere here?"

" I hate you." Starscream stated as a clear fact. " but surprisingly enough, I find myself willing to give you a chance to back up your speech with actions."

But before Megatron could make as much as a step toward him, he lifted his hand to stop him and hastily added, his tone sharp: " On my terms!"

Megatron roared as Starscream shot his infamous null-ray at him. The warlord fell on the floor, paralyzed. " What is this nonsense?" he growled.

" I am just making sure you'll listen to me until I'm done" The seeker went back to pacing around.

" First off, I shall not be claimed. In the hypothetical reality in which I decided to accept your proposal, you'll have to give me a status equal to your own. Both as a mate and as a leader. Also, know that I'll be expecting you to court me. When, and if it pleases me, I'll start courting you as well."

From his prone position on the floor, Megatron could only glare at his subordinate.

" Is that agreed, Megatron?" Starscream asked as hauntingly as he always was when he knew he had good bargaining material.

The warlord considered this, fuming in anger and humiliation.

" If my terms do not please you, mighty Megatron, then start counting how many of your followers will choose my side when I decide to rally them."

" This is intolerable! Outrageous!" Megatron squirmed about on the floor, still greatly hindered by the effects of the null-ray.

Starscream tsked, walked closer and pushed his other arm-mounted gun against his leader's head, hard.

Megatron glared at him. He was still furious but he knew that Starscream wasn't bluffing and he wasn't suicidal. "...Will a status equivalent to the one you've had those last Mega-cycles be adequate to you?" Megatron asked.

He was somehow glad for his paralysis. If he had been free of his movements, the seeker would have been ashes at his feet before he could even have finished his sentence.

" It will do, as long as you make it official...And I get to have a title other than 'second-in-command'." Starscream said, pulling his gun away.

" Don't push my patience, Starscream. I could as well change my mind and decide to terminate you instead of courting you."

" You came with a proposal, I responded with a fair bargain. Now it is entirely up to you."

The warlord had now partly regained the control of his body, enough so to stand up shakily.

" What exactly are the rules of that courting you want me to do?" He asked coldly, not satisfied to have to make concessions even though he was secretly relieved that Starscream hadn't downright rejected his proposal.

" No rule" Starscream said, shrugging. " You'll just have to get me to hate you less, somehow. Gifts would be appreciated, praise...And, eventually, a hunt."

" A hunt?" now Megatron felt suddenly more curious than angry. " and you will be the prize?"

Starscream was inwardly pleased that Megatron had said ' prize' and not 'prey' like what could have been expected from him.

He shuffled gracefully closer until he was standing face to face with the larger gunformer, their sparks swirling contently as, once again, they were brought in proximity one to the other. Starscream leaned up and his face drew close to Megatron's, yet kept that necessary distance so their lips didn't touch.

Their intake hitched but none make a move and then Starscream spoke.

" If you manage to catch me, then I'll deem you worthy of my time enough so to chase you back. Just like it should be, I'll hunt you down. And, when I catch you..." He left the words unspoken, so Megatron could think-and hope- whatever he wanted.

The outcome would still be far worse-or far better- than anything the warlord could ever expect.

END.

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed the story!

I intend for this to be a one-shot, but I might write the actual hunting-and-getting caught scene in a short sequel ( that would be a strong 'M' then, because equal partners can still be naughty with each others).

I just wanted some Megatron/Starscream that was different from the anger-driven Dom/Sub relationship those two usually have in fanfiction.

( I love well written dom/sub though so keep 'em coming)


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